Got it. So you'd say that if I can't make around more than $75k, SF is a long shot?

I'm okay living with roommates as long as the job is close to my work. I'm realizing that a job takes up so much time and there's an after-hours element to work (like drinks with coworkers and what not). I don't want to be the guy that misses out on those things because I live far but I also don't want to break the bank for work. I guess what I'm asking is how important is it to attend socializing events for work and is it that worth the cost of living nearby the office even if it means paying more?

Thanks, Eric! This is really helpful. I think my struggle is that going to Japan means I have a guaranteed job as a teacher, and if I go down the STEM graduate route, I can maybe get a job as an engineer or leverage my English major with my stem degree to becomes a PM. Those two paths seem really clear, but not going to grad school and not teaching means things are more uncertain.

But, if I don't go to grad school, then I won't have a bunch of debt which is also great. I guess my question is do you have any advice on how to use my IT tech experience with my English major to get a job at another company or startup?

I paid to work with a career adviser, and she gave me all the information that Chris and Michelle posted about. But another one that I really liked was to add a short blurb about each company you've worked for. The advice I got was something a half to a full line on your resume that explains what the company does. For big companies, you won't need to right so much because people know what Amazon is, but for smaller ones, a bit of detail helps the reader know more about the company and what you might have done there.

I think the best thing for me was signing up for a lot of different sites. Indeed.com, Monster.com, Angel.co, and a bunch of other ones have been really helpful. There's a ton of jobs out there and they're on a bunch of different sites/apps.